Romania might subscribe to the notion that luck evens itself out over time. Fortunate to qualify for the upcoming Rugby World Cup, they have been struck down by a trio of injuries, including captain Mihai Macovei on the eve of the tournament.
The Mighty Oaks finished third in the Rugby Europe competition behind Georgia and Spain, but when the latter was deemed to have fielded an ineligible player during the campaign, Romania were promoted to the second automatic qualification spot for the World Cup in France with Spain disqualified.
It earned Romania, 19th in the world rankings, the dubious honour of a place in a shark-infested Pool B alongside Ireland, South Africa, Scotland and Tonga. Their build-up to the tournament has been less than auspicious, losing five of their last six matches to Portugal (38-20), Georgia (31-7), USA (31-7), Georgia (56-6) and their most recent outing last weekend, a 57-7 defeat to Italy.
The only victory was a 31-25 win over Spain at the tail end of the Rugby Europe competition. The Italian match and a couple of setbacks at training have cost them the services of flanker cum number eight and captain Macovei, one of two survivors from the last time Romania faced Ireland in a World Cup match.
That game took place in the 2015 tournament at the revamped Wembley Stadium, and it made it into the Guinness Book of Records as the attendance, 89,267, was the highest in the history of Rugby World Cups, eclipsing the mark set by the clash between New Zealand and Argentina earlier in that tournament.
Keith Earls is the only member of the current Ireland squad that started the Wembley match eight years ago and he marked the occasion with a brace of tries — in doing so he equalled Brian O’Driscoll’s tally of seven in World Cups and the Limerick man went on the overtake his former captain in that capacity with his eighth against Italy — in Ireland’s 44-10 over Romania.
Two other members of Andy Farrell’s squad heading for France were in action. Tadhg Furlong made his Irish World Cup debut that day off the bench while scrumhalf Conor Murray came on for the injured Rob Kearney, the fullback himself a replacement that afternoon.
The only Romanian survivor from the London clash now that Macovei (torn calf) is out is 38-year-old scrumhalf Florin Surugiu who is recovering from injury; the pair reached the 100-cap milestone in December last year.
Macovei had been hoping to make it to his third World Cup, especially as he plays his club rugby in France with Arcachon in the Bay of Biscay, just half an hour’s drive from Bordeaux, where Romania will face Ireland and South Africa.
Mihai Muresan (dislocated shoulder) and Paul Popoaia (shoulder) have also succumbed to injury, so Andre Gorin, Tongan born scrumhalf Sioeli Lama and Taliauli Sikuea, a wing also born in Tonga, have been promoted to the squad. Tevita Manumua, a centre who previously played Sevens for the Pacific island nation and also spent a few years at Saracens in England, has been included in the squad.
There is a cosmopolitan look to the Romanian squad that also includes a couple of Moldovan-born players in second row Andrei Mahu, who made his debut recently against the USA, and prop Gheorghe Gajion, Taylor Gontineac the French-born son of former Romanian legend, Romeo and New Zealander Hinckley Vaovasa. The Oaks will now be captained by flanker Christi Chirica.
Scrum problems
One name that may be familiar to Ireland supporters is Jason Tomane (28), younger brother of former Wallaby international Joe (17 caps) who spent two seasons at Leinster, making 21 appearances for the Irish province. The brothers — there is a five-year age gap — were born in New Zealand but the family moved to Australia and they both spent time at the Brumbies.
Where once the Romanians were renowned for their forwards, they struggled in the scrum, lineout and maul against Georgia, understandably, but less so in coming off second best in Rugby Europe matches against Portugal and Spain.
When former Romanian outhalf Eugen Apjok took over as head coach — he brought former Fiji and Scotland coach Vern Cotter as a consultant — from Andy Robinson in December last year he said: “My appointment as coach of the national team is an honour, and at the same time, a great challenge and responsibility. I accepted the proposal with the feeling that I can carry on the work of my predecessor whom I want to thank in this way for all that he has done for the national team, so that in the time remaining until the World Cup we can build around a common vision that to reflect as faithfully as possible the culture and spirit of Romanian rugby.”
Those words are to be held up to the light in the weeks ahead.
